^I think the idea is that bacteria and toxins accumulate in your mouth overnight so it's best to get rid of them first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, rather than ingesting them again when you eat breakfast. Probably similar reasons to why it's recommended to floss in the morning if you're only going to once a day.

A research rabbit trail led me to oil pulling this morning. Recommendations were to use sesame or sunflower oil for a minimum of fifteen minutes. A large number of respondents used CO or EVOO with positive results. A bottle of organic sunflower oil (albeit with black truffle aroma added) was sitting forlornly in my fridge. The women in my family have a strong gag reflex, and I claim it for myself. Incidently, I had a headache which could be attributed to the strong drying Santa Ana winds this week, or the boron supplementation I just started maybe creating some detox. Possibly it was the result of this being my first day off since Easter, and the nine hours sleep I got last night.

The first sixty seconds of truffle flavored oil in my mouth definitely induced a desire to wretch. I forced myself to breathe strongly through my dried up sinuses, and I made it past the initial gag. I believe 1 tablespoon is too much for me as it filled too much of my mouth and seemed excessive for the requisite swishing through the teeth. I started out with fairly vigorous swishing, and soon chose a gentle wake with various "pulling" or sucking actions between my teeth. With several more episodes of strong nasal breathing to avoid spitting it out of my face, and a few tiny swallows to make room for breathing, I survived for 20 minutes.

First reaction after rinsing was the sense of clean teeth as if I'd just seen the hygienist. Second was the definite relief to my sinuses in that they felt less dry and taut. Third, the headache was gone indicating it could have been sinus related.

I had already had breakfast, so I didn't meet the before meal requirement. Several hours and a weak cup of coffee later, my sinuses still feel good. My teeth are smooth on my tongue. Using the truffle oil was a matter of what was on hand, and coconut oil did not sound good this morning. I wouldn't recommend it because of the strong flavor. That said, I could see myself continuing this with a variety of oils as my inclinations dictate, and using 1 or 2 teaspoons to determine a less explosive sensation level for my mouth.

I followed the earlier threads but wasn't convinced. Later I thought I'd see what happened. I have a lot of implants and my gums were receding from them a bit, which caused food to be caught inbetween.

I only now clean my teeth once a day. First I use a waterpick instead of flossing (that brand has the right pulse timing), then brush, then oil pull vigorusly with sesame seed oil about 5 min - until the oil is white. Then spit it out.

As a result my gum pockets have reduced in depth by half. And i've only been doing it for about 4 weeks.

I've continued this daily since my first experiment on Saturday. 1 teaspoon is plenty of oil, and I keep it in my mouth for 20 minutes, usually while I shower and start the day. It is watery when I spit it out into the trash bin. I've continued to use the flavored organic sunflower oil because I haven't been using it for cooking. I have an unopened bottle of sesame oil I am eyeing, and a good California olive oil as well. I dropped my new jar of coconut oil on the floor yesterday morning, and it promptly shattered.

My sinuses are still liking it, and I am still amazed by how clean my teeth feel. I am definitely going to persevere with this protocol to see the long term advantages. My family already thinks I'm a little loopy because I have various foods fermenting on the counter, moose meat in the freezer, and my a/c in the car is set on Antarctica. So I don't plan on sharing this with them for a little while yet. (ok, I must give my mom lots of credit since she made me dinner tonight while I fixed her computer: grilled chicken with roasted Italian squash, sugar peas and those tiny purple carrots from the Farmers Market, and a BAS. She didn't even bother asking if I wanted any of her bottled salad dressing)

I've been oil pulling 20 minutes per day with sesame oil for almost exactly 2 years now. I brush w/a bit of toothpaste in morning, oil pull after dinner and brush w/water only and floss right after I spit it out. It's a good method to train yourself not to eat after dinner, cause it messes up that 'clean mouth' feel.

6 month dental cleanings are a breeze, deep periodontal pockets all gone, dentist loves me, teeth look and feel great. Every statement in that sentence was the exact opposite 2-1/2 years ago!

I've been oil pulling 20 minutes per day with sesame oil for almost exactly 2 years now. I brush w/a bit of toothpaste in morning, oil pull after dinner and brush w/water only and floss right after I spit it out. It's a good method to train yourself not to eat after dinner, cause it messes up that 'clean mouth' feel.

6 month dental cleanings are a breeze, deep periodontal pockets all gone, dentist loves me, teeth look and feel great. Every statement in that sentence was the exact opposite 2-1/2 years ago!

20 minutes per day? that's a single session right? dang. I can hardly do 5. I guess practice makes perfect.

OK i'm at work, and have no oil here, but I just tried this with water while sitting at my desk. I wanted to see if I could swish something in my mouth for 20 mins and if I noticed a difference. I got about 10 mins in and had to spit it out, but I noticed that my teeth looked really clean! I think there is something to all that swishing, I can't wait to try it with coconut or sesame oil!

If you use coconut oil, isnt it solid when you put it in your mouth? or does it melt when you start the swishing?

Has anyone else done this with CO right before bed and then not been able to go to sleep? I've done lots of oil pulling in the past but always with sesame oil. Last night I did CO for the first time and couldn't go to sleep for hours. I was SO pumped. Almost jittery.